Karebbe hydro-combine and failsafe spillway

PT Vale Indonesia Tbk operates a mining and nickel-smelting operation on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. The nickel-processing plant is largely powered by hydroelectric generating stations on the Larona River. When the company decided to increase nickel production in 2003, SNC-Lavalin was invited to enter a design competition for a new hydroelectric facility to increase their generation capacity. The successful design benefitted from two interesting features highlighted in this paper: a distinctive hydro-combine powerhouse arrangement; and a unique failsafe spillway arrangement.